Thyroid cancer is a "cancer." There are times when it is not taken seriously because like other cancers there are not many serious symptoms that appear. A lot of the symptoms of a thyroid gland not functioning properly can be linked to other conditions and the thyroid problem or cancer can be misdiagnosed.
The symptoms may be diagnosed as the thyroid gland being over active, hyperthyroidism, or under active, hypothyroidism, and treated with medication accordingly. The most specific way that cancer can be found in the thyroid gland is when a cyst grows and a biopsy is done.
Saying that in my case I have to contradict that statement because when my cyst was found and aspirated the results came back normal body fluids. The cyst was aspirated and returned three times before surgery to remove it was decided upon. That was when the cancer was found on the tissue that the cyst was attached to. There are some doctors that will not do routine checks unless there is a family history of thyroid problems.
A complete thyroid check and blood work has to be done with your annual check up; and I would like to really stress the annual check ups as I did not know I had a growth. It was discovered at my check up. This will give you a fighting chance. We have to keep ourselves in tune with our bodies and tell our doctors of unusual growths and any symptoms that may appear no matter how menial they may appear.